Desperation
by Katsuko1978
Summary: Hard decisions are made in time of conflict and cannot always be undone. Alternate universe, sequel to "Untitled."
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Transformers © Hasbro  
**Warnings:** AU, past OC death, mentions of propaganda on both sides  
**Notes:** Damn it all, I meant for "Untitled" to be just a one-shot. But I was convinced to continue it by several comments and the breeding of two bunnies together... or was it three. Grah!

* * *

The Decepticons were treading lightly, none of them wishing to become the focus of their leader's current fit of rage.

The last battle had seemed to be going so well; the Autobots had been slow to arrive, leaving plenty of time to gather a significant amount of energon for later purification. Megatron had been pleased with the spoils, seeing fit to (for once) ignore Starscream's whining complaints... which, actually, seemed to be part of an ongoing game between the leader and his elite seeker trine. Even after the Autobots arrived, there was little reason to think that everything would quickly go to the pit.

Unfortunately, it had, and it was that annoying inventor's fault.

Now, the Decepticons currently on base were making every effort to avoid setting off Megatron's rage. Only a very select few knew why, exactly, the news that the air commander and his trine were missing in the aftermath of the explosion that had nearly wiped out the plant they'd raided was troubling their leader so.

And of that select few, Soundwave knew that only the Unmaker himself could match the rage Megatron would surely unleash upon the Autobots if the trine had been destroyed.

oOoOoOo

The discovery had been astonishing, and more than a little troubling.

When the nullifier that Wheeljack had built exploded during the battle, the elite seeker trine had wound up caught in the blast range. None of the Autobots were surprised to find that the Decepticons left them behind – they had _looked_ deactivated even to Ratchet's trained optic at first – but it seemed wrong to do likewise if there was a chance of saving their lives (and possibly extracting some intel in the process).

The damage was hefty to all three, most of their framework twisted and melted beyond repair and their systems were fighting hard to stay online. Ratchet had made sure that all the seekers were in stasis lock before beginning to attempt any repairs. Thundercracker had taken more of the blast than his trine mates, rupturing his spark chamber, and the CMO had intended to make at least minor repairs to it before placing him into a CR chamber for a while.

Instead, he found that the seemingly-adult seeker possessed the spark of a half-grown youngling.

A quick check on the other two seekers revealed two more youngling sparks, slightly younger than Thundercracker's and – to the shock of the officers he informed of the discovery – indicated that the air commander and his second wing were twins. Not only that, but all three younglings were showing significant strain to their energy fields; even if they had not suffered damage in the explosion, chances were good that they only would have survived another three to five solar cycles before their sparks would have gone out several megacycles too soon.

As a medic, Ratchet could not, _would_ not, stand by and just let it happen.

Thankfully, Optimus Prime was just as unwilling to allow three younglings to simply fade away. Hence why the trine was currently resting in separate CR chambers as the scientists worked at constructing three seeker-modified youngling protoforms.

What no one seemed to yet notice, however, was how indifferent Prowl seemed to be about the whole issue. Or how his two framekin slipped quietly from the Ark in spite of having no current assignment.

oOoOoOo

_"The situation is growing worse, Lord Megatron."_

_The Decepticon leader frowned darkly, fixing burning crimson optics on the spy standing before him. "How much worse could things __**possibly**__ get?" he asked, certain that he wouldn't like the answer._

_His assessment proved correct. "The Autobots have started yet another campaign," the mech stated, wings twitching slightly in the manner that he had long ago come to recognize as a sign of frustration. "This time, they're targeting the seeker sky-born. They still don't recognize flightless as seekers, which is both a benefit and a curse."_

_Megatron gave a brief nod. "Beneficial in that suspicion won't befall yourself or your trine, yet it puts the young ones at risk."_

_A faint trill sounded behind him, and the spy turned to see that the twins had slipped into the room at some point during the debriefing. Skywarp looked angry while Starscream seemed more troubled than anything else. His own youngling, Thundercracker, stood off to one side keeping a protective eye on his friends._

_"It's never going to end, is it?" the younger of the twins asked, leaning against his brother and relaxing only a fraction as Skywarp wrapped an arm possessively around him._

_"It __**will**__ end, Starscream," Megatron replied, optics darkening with anger at the Autobots for causing his creations even a moment of torment._

_"After they wipe us all off the face of the planet, maybe!" Skywarp snapped, his turbines rumbling in repressed anger that wasn't soothed even by his brother's soft crooning. "We can't even defend ourselves, and they would see us deactivated! We're not even sixty vorns yet, genitor."_

_Megatron growled softly and inclined his head; recognizing the summons for what it was the twins darted across the room and clung to their creator, wings humming with nervous tension. "We will find some way to keep you both safe," he murmured, running his hands over their wings in a soothing manner. He met his spy's optics and watched as he gave a brief nod._

oOoOoOo

He hated coming out of stasis lock. Every time, his sensors took forever to come fully online and it served only to make him nervous while he waited impatiently. As he tended to do when in this in-between state, Skywarp automatically located the bond he shared with his twin to ascertain Starscream's current status.

_=not right not right something's not right=_

The nervous babble was disturbing; even as sparklings his brother was talkative, but only rambled on when his emotional state was overwhelmed by the information he was gathering. Diving in instinctively, the older twin wrapped his presence around the younger and broadcast calm to him. When Starscream's babbling ceased, he gave the younger a mental nudge.

_=What's wrong, Astrum?=_ he crooned soothingly, using the old nickname for his brother.

_=Something's not right, Caelum,=_ Starscream responded, also lapsing into the nicknames they had used when they were much younger. _=My sensor readings make no sense. Everything comes back as brand new and... and my frame doesn't feel right to me.=_

Skywarp paused at that and reached out to check his own sensors as they came fully online. He was getting odd readings as well: nothing indicated damage or the strain that he'd grown accustomed to, and Starscream's statement of his frame feeling off was echoed by his own instincts. Giving his twin a mental nuzzle, the older twin onlined his optics and glanced around cautiously.

He didn't recognize the ceiling, but the ugly orange colour made it highly likely that his current location was somewhere in the Autobot base (really, why orange? It clashed with everything!); given that he was only lightly restrained and was only now coming online after the explosion, it was almost certain that this was the repair bay. Skywarp turned his head slightly and blinked his optics in surprise before reaching out through the twin bond again.

_=Hey, Astrum, I know why your frame feels weird.=_

_=Why's that, brother mine?=_

_='Cause apparently the Autoboobs found out about us and stuck you – and probably me and TC as well – into a youngling frame.=_

Starscream's optics flared to life and he turned his head to look around. It was odd for Skywarp to see his younger brother back in a smaller frame, having long grown used to the bulkier adult protoforms they'd been wearing for megacycles. From what he could see, his twin's colours had nearly finished filling in and full integration would be complete within the next few breems. Crimson optics turned his way and a faint familiar smirk crossed the younger seeker's lips.

_=It is so weird seeing you like that again, Caelum. Thunder's just over on your other side, same situation as us.=_

Skywarp turned to look the other direction, noting that his brother's observation was correct and that it looked as if Thundercracker had been patiently waiting for his friends to online; granted, nothing seemed to ever phase the slightly-older seeker, not even when they were sparklings and the twins had innocently asked him how a sky-born could result from a union between two flightless.

"About time you two losers booted up," Thundercracker drawled, ignoring the pouts and glares his trine mates shot his way. "I was getting bored with only the Autobots for company."

"As your complaints for the past three breems have made abundantly clear," the Autobot medic remarked dryly, moving from the table he'd been working at to draw closer to the restrained trine. Behind him, Skywarp could make out the form of the second-in-command standing next to the door with his arms crossed. The seeker's optics locked onto the faint twitches that the mech's doorwings were making, giving a faint nod to the silent order.

"Hey, it could've been Screamer online first," Skywarp chirped, giving a cocky grin and ignoring the glare his twin shot him, although he internally snickered at the amusement flooding through their twin-bond. "He _never_ shuts the frag up when he gets started."

"Go 'face yourself, Warp," Starscream shot back, biting back a grin when his brother responded with a blast of static. His amusement rocketed another few degrees at the disapproving look from the medic and the faint electrical thrum of laughter from the other seekers.

"As nice as it is that you're adapting so quickly," Ratchet interrupted, glowering at the three younglings and giving Prowl a look for good measure (he didn't see any reason for the SIC to be hovering like he was), "I still need to run a few diagnostics before I can release you from the med bay. The strain on your spark energies from being upgraded too early is going to take some time to stabilize."

Starscream snorted. "Well, excuse us so very much, Mister Autobot Medic. Not everyone's creators have the option of shuttling off their creations to a neutral zone as a means of protection." A sly smirk twisted his face plates as he added, "Not that it really did much good in the long run, did it?"

_=Ouch, that was harsh, Astrum,=_ Skywarp snickered over their bond, grinning at the flustered expression on the medic's face. Aloud he added, "What, it was Praxus and then Crystal City back to back, right? With all those neutral zones going down so hard, it only made sense for our creator to opt for early upgrading and hoping for the best."

Ratchet reminded himself that these were younglings raised with Decepticon views to keep from snapping out his reply: "Apparently _hoping for the best_ is akin to cutting your lives short. Upgrading too early at _any_ development stage can cause undo spark trauma and shorten a mech's lifespan. You three would have only gone another few solar cycles if we hadn't downgraded you; if you don't get yourselves shot down, you have a chance to reach adulthood."

"As Autobots, right?" Thundercracker asked, quirking a brow ridge speculatively and shooting a quick look towards the mech still standing by the door. "That's what you've all been thinking since you found out how old we really are, I'll wager." The twins started snickering as the older youngling let an amused grin touch his lips. "You honestly think that after megacycles of being Decepticons, we'll just toe the line and be good little Autobots because you saved our lives? That's just plain gullible."

"Everyone should have the right to make their own decisions," Ratchet said, not entirely convinced that the seekers knew what they were professing. Behind him and completely unnoticed, Prowl turned his head in a brief nod and twitched his doorwings just enough to set up a faint hum; the three younglings gave no physical sign that they had noticed but allowed their systems to match the subsonic white noise.

Starscream gave a soft laugh. "And our choice was to follow our creators' pedefalls," the seeker sneered. "They were Decepticons back before this war began, and our surviving creators are loyal to the cause. Why should we turn our backs on everything they and we stand for?"

"All the seekers are loyal to the cause," Skywarp added with a grin. "To the point where we sacrificed one of our cities to protect our top spies."

"What are you—" Ratchet began, only to cut himself off with a sharp cry as a neural disrupter was pressed to the back of his neck. He dropped to the ground, optics flickering as his systems began to lock down. Before he fell entirely into darkness, he caught the faint outline of Mirage's cloak dropping and Prowl stepping up next to the spy. His audio receptors caught Prowl's words just before the world fell away:

"Praxus was a necessary sacrifice to keep the flightless hidden."

* * *

**Additional Notes:**

_Genitor:_ parent-creator; from the Latin word for "parent"; the female parent-creator would be _genetrix_. Pronounced "geh-ne-toor."  
_Astrum:_ one of three Latin words for "star." Pronounced "ah-struum."  
_Caelum:_ Latin for "sky" or "heaven." Pronounced "ky-luum."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Transformers © Hasbro  
**Warnings:** See Chapter One  
**Notes:** This section jumps around a bit between flashbacks and the present. Basically, this chapter is to both move a little of the story along and to show a bit of background for a few of the characters as they are in this particular universe. The flashback sections are in full-italics; any text appearing _'as thus'_ is Seeker-Cant and would only be understood by the seekers in the room.

For the few people who asked me about who, exactly, Thundercracker's creators are, the answer is pretty much given immediately in this section. And I have a couple other flightless introduced as well... even some borrowed from other continuities.

**

* * *

**_It wasn't as if he had never been to Vos before – in his work as a Peacekeeper, he had been back and forth between the two seeker cities many times – nor was it the first time he'd been talked into going to one of the flightless endurance races with his trine mates. It __**was**__, however, the first time that Smokescreen insisted on meeting the winners of the competition, and it was difficult to argue when there were no pressing matters to use as an excuse to get out of it._

_Which was how he found himself leaning against a pillar, watching in mild amusement as Smokescreen argued with the black-and-green member of the winning trine and sipping at a cube of mid-grade. His younger trine mate had managed to engage a few of the Vosian flightless in conversation, and by all appearances the small group was having a good time making friends. He shook his head and absently looked around to see if he could locate the other two members of the racing trine; they shared the same frame-build as their partner, but where he was black the other mech and femme had been white, accented with blue and red-and-black respectively._

_"Want some company?"_

_The voice, low and smooth, startled him for a moment, and he turned his head abruptly to find the object of his thoughts standing next to him. The femme grinned in amusement, her axlewings flicking slightly to match her mood. Now that he wasn't seeing her from across the room or up in the spectators' stands, he saw that her faceplate was a softer shade of red than the rest of her colouration._

_He blinked, trying to decide what the appropriate response to the question would be. A mental smack from Smokescreen goaded him into speech. "I wouldn't object, if you're offering."_

_The femme's optics lit up brightly, and she edged closer to latch onto his arm. "Well, I'm offering," she purred in that same low thrum from before. "We don't have to stay here; I trust Locks and Raj to find their own way home, even if Locks is acting like a __**huge sparkling right now!**__" she directed towards the black-and-green mech, who waved her off as he continued his 'discussion' with Smokescreen._

_"I can empathize," the Praxian offered, smiling faintly when Smokescreen likewise waved him off. "Is there anywhere in particular you would like to go?" he asked. Almost as an afterthought he added, "I'm Prowl, by the way."_

_"Fracture," the femme replied, waving to her blue-and-white trine mate as they walked towards the door. "I know this lovely restaurant up on the fifth ring...."_

oOoOoOo

_'So we're taking Doc Bot with us?'_ Skywarp asked, leaning over the offlined medic and poking at him lightly with one finger. Starscream rolled his optics skyward and pulled his twin back, humming at him in amusement even as Mirage moved toward the door.

_'Yes,'_ Prowl said, a faint frown touching his lips. _'From conversations with him, I feel that Ratchet is unaware of just how little truth there is to the rumours circulating about our faction. Simply telling him the facts would work for the short-term, but he's a mech who needs to see something to fully believe it.'_

_'Still, isn't this risky for you, genitor?'_ Thundercracker asked, giving his creator a troubled look. _'You've worked hard to keep your cover for so long.'_

_'An alert came in about an hour ago,'_ Mirage remarked as he walked back into the room, Jazz and Red Alert behind him. _'Apparently your creator,'_ he added with a glance to the twins,_ 'launched an attack on a hydroelectric plant and the humans called for assistance. Ratchet wasn't about to leave while the three of you were still in stasis lock and recovering from the transference, so a few of us volunteered to stay behind as well.'_

Jazz snickered. _'They probably wouldn't have been cool with leaving if they knew that six seekers had infiltrated their ranks ages ago and were the only ones staying behind!'_ he said in the stilted form of Seeker-Cant used by those with wing injuries.

_'No matter,'_ Red Alert added, likewise using the more-simplified form of the Vosian-Praxian language. _'We need to move, fast. The virus I planted will go into effect shortly, and I'd rather we were away from here before it locks down all the doors.'_

_'I agree,'_ Prowl said, taking charge. _'Red, Jazz, you two grab Ratchet. It's past time for us to leave this place.'_

The two heavily-disguised seekers moved to pick up the medic, carefully settling him between them before turning towards the door. Mirage moved to take point, keeping an optic out for any mechs that may have returned unexpectedly, and the younglings fell into step immediately behind the three adults. Prowl took one final look around the repair bay before turning on his heel and walking out the door for the last time.

oOoOoOo

The buzz of a comm connection did little to distract the Decepticon pair currently tangling with the Lamborghini twins, although Fracture did let out a string of Vosian curses that would have rivaled Sunstreaker on his worst day could he understand the meaning behind her engine revs and clicks. Shoving herself backward and stomping out a miniature quake, the femme finally responded to the alert: **This had better be important, I was **_**busy**_**.**

**Too busy to say hello to your bondmate?**

Vermillion optics lit up brightly and she bit back a small smile even while throwing herself back into the fray, this time latching onto Sideswipe's jet pack to keep him from getting airborne. **Prowlie! I thought you were keeping an eye on our pit spawn and his friends. That's what Smoky and Blue said when they brought the news....**

Prowl's voice held a mildly smug note when he responded, drawing a faint giggle from the femme: **I was, and am. Thanks to an **_**unexpected**_** attack that got most of the Autobots off-base, those of us here decided to take the opportunity to grab the younglings and head home... with a guest in tow.**

**Oh, baby, I love it when you're devious,** Fracture purred, her momentary distraction allowing the red Lamborghini to grab hold of her and throw her at her trine mate. **Ow, Primus frag it! So, you still need some cover or...?**

**We're about five minutes out,** Prowl replied. **I'll comm Megatron to let him know our ETA, so be ready to fall back, sweetspark.**

**It'll be good to have you back where you belong. See you soon, my love.**

The femme turned slightly to see her trine brother nod, an indication that he'd received a similar message, most likely from their point. Deciding to pull out early, the Runners shifted into their alt modes and gunned away from the twins. There would be future battles, but the prospect of welcoming their fellow seekers home was more appealing than aggravating the Autobots any more today.

It didn't go unnoticed that the retreat was called only moments later, but the Autobots wouldn't be making the connection until they returned to the Ark and discovered that those who had been left behind to stand guard were now missing.

oOoOoOo

_"And what of the sky-born seeker who survived the assault?"_

_Prowl glanced up from his datapad, frowning slightly at his commander's question. After a suitable mourning period for his bondmate, Megatron had once more taken the helm of the Decepticon army. The only difference that most of the army saw was that he spent less time walking amongst the ranks and more in his offices; the officers and most of the seekers knew that this was mostly because he rarely allowed the twins out of his sight. Even now, Skywarp was gnawing on one of Megatron's fingers while a silent-for-once Starscream leaned over his creator's arm and peered at the assembled mechs with the same fascination that Prowl's own sparkling displayed when confronted with strangers._

_Exchanging a look with Soundwave, the Praxian flightless cleared his vocalizer. "Sunstorm is recovering slowly, Lord Megatron. We still aren't sure how he escaped the bombing, and from what Blackout can tell the memory file may have been corrupted or lost. Unless Sunstorm remembers what happened, we may never know the exact order of events."_

_"There's also the concern of how the loss of both his trine mates will affect him," Ramjet added; the other trine leaders present – Acid Storm of the Rainmakers and Mirage of the Runners – sounded their agreement with faint trills and wing twitches. "Not all seekers form trines, but when we do the loss of even one trine mate can be devastating. To lose both of them, especially when one is a close relative, is potentially fatal."_

_Megatron's expression darkened and he curled a protective arm around the sparklings, both of whom chirped in protest. Although they had possessed very different personalities, it was well-known that Solarflare and Sunstorm were dual-sparked twins. The fact that Sunstorm had even made it back to base was astounding, but this new information was highly troubling._

_"Madness can sometimes be a result as well," Ramjet continued. "Since he __**is**__ recovering, the likelihood of a relapse is slim. However, there is still cause for concern."_

_"Is it possible for him to acquire a new trine?" the commander asked, running a fingertip lightly along Starscream's helm as the sparkling chirred for attention. The trine leaders looked at one another, dropping automatically into Seeker-Cant to discuss the possibilities. Thrusters and engines hummed, wings flared and dropped, trills replaced common speech as a conclusion was reached and Prowl gave a flick of his doorwings before turning back to face Megatron._

_"It's possible," he said finally, voice still holding a faint lilt as he slipped back into the common Cybertronian dialect. "The only thing is, with Sunstorm's current mind frame there's little hope that he could ever be a trine leader. We don't have very many trineless sky-born amongst the ranks."_

_"There __**have**__ been mixed trines in ages past, though," Mirage spoke up, frowning thoughtfully. "Not only flightless/sky-born, but Praxian/Vosian as well. I know that there's a solo Vosian amongst the flightless ranks, one of our security mechs. He annoys the ever-living slag out of Lockdown, but there are very few mechs who __**don't**__ annoy my trine brother."_

_Prowl nodded slowly, recalling the flightless in question. Mirage's assessment was valid; Red Alert was well-known to most of the rank-and-file, and while some disliked him greatly there were just as many who sang his praises. His file had recently crossed the SIC's desk with the recommendation for promotion to head of security, and should the trine bond take then that additional support would serve Red Alert well in his role._

_"I'll speak with him on the issue," Prowl promised, mentally adding the name of a Praxian saboteur to the short list of trine candidates. "It's a long shot, but at this point we really can't lose another good fighter. We're already struggling, and the Autobots' smear campaigns are drawing away potential recruits."_

_"If there's no other business to discuss, I believe we can consider this meeting adjourned," Megatron said after a moment of silence that was broken only by the sparklings' crooning. The officers saluted sharply and exited the conference room, only Soundwave remaining behind to assist with the twins._

_Prowl nodded to the other trine leaders and headed to his office, sending out a quick comm to the two mechs he wished to speak with: __**Red Alert, Jazz. Could you both please come to my office right away?**_

* * *

**Final Notes:** Just for giggles, I'm going to go ahead and share a couple of this universe's established trines... but only those who have appeared thus far!

The Elite: Starscream (trine leader), Skywarp, Thundercracker. Yes, even though they're younglings, they're still a valid trine and earned their title!

The Second Wing: Ramjet (trine leader), Dirge, Thrust. They're the only full-Praxian sky-born trine in the Decepticon army, and there is a reason for that.

Ground Control: Prowl (trine leader), Smokescreen, Bluestreak. Prowl is, indeed, the _real_ Decepticon SIC; Starscream has been the acting SIC since Prowl et al infiltrated the Autobots.

The Runners: Mirage (trine leader), Fracture, Lockdown. Bet you thought I was kidding about pulling in characters from other continuities, huh? Although I thought his colour description earlier was a dead give-away....


End file.
